The present invention relates to devices for storing magnetic tape cassettes.
More particularly , it relates to devices for storing magnetic tape cassettes which have locking members engageable with two tape reel hubs of a compact cassette placed on a supporting surface in the device.
Devices of the above mentioned general type are known in the art. One of such devices is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,229. The known devices which are also called storage containers for magnetic tape cassette have a housing with a slider insertable into the housing against a spring force and lockable in the inserted position. The slider holds the particular cassette to be stored, which in the removal position of the slider can be easily removed or exchanged. In the removal position, the slider protrudes significantly from the housing and can be unlocked by operating a button.
Such storage containers have been used for a long time for storing commercially available compact cassettes, whose tape reel hubs are freely accessible. For preventing uncontrolled movements of the reel hubs and consequently also of the wound-up material, storage containers with locking members for the reel hubs have been developed. A known device of this type has rigid locking projections which project from the slider. The projections engage in the reel hubs of a compact cassette when it is located on the slider and secure them against rotation. However, closed magnetic tape cassettes cannot be placed on the slider provided with such rigidly mounted locking projections, and therefore the known device is not suitable for storing digital cassettes (DCC) which have completely closed wide faces.
Digital cassettes can be played back in playback apparatuses which are compatible with compact cassettes. The dimensions of the digital cassettes substantially correspond to the dimensions of the compact cassettes. However, the housing of the standardized compact cassettes has an enlargement in the region in which the playback and recording heads of a tape recorder engage with the magnetic tape. The housing enlargement is formed by two elevations created on opposing wide faces of the compact cassette. The elevations have a trapezoidal contour on the plan view. On the other hand, the digital cassettes do not have such elevations.